Lawmaker asks about pensions: How about those who contribute?

An opposition leader of the House of Representatives objected to the government’s proposal to tap government savings to augment the P120 billion yearly requirement for the taxpayer-paid pensions of military and uniformed personnel (MUP), as this can be better spent to hike the wages of public teachers and government nurses.

House Deputy Minority Leader Rep. Francisca Castro of the ACT Teachers party-list group pressed the Marcos administration to fast-track its proposed reforms in the MUP pension system and avert a fiscal crisis due to ballooning pension requirements.

“We do not agree with the proposal to use P120 billion in government savings to fund the pension of MUPs. What can be done is fast-track the proposed bills to reform their pension system so that it can be implemented as early as possible,” Castro said.

In a statement, the lawmaker said the state’s reserve fund was better set aside to increase the salaries of teachers and nurses because they regularly make contributions for their own pensions.

“Instead of using the P120 billion in savings for military and police personnel whose salaries were doubled and who are not contributing to their pension, the savings can be tapped for government teachers and nurses so that they won’t be forced to work as overseas Filipino workers,” Castro said.

She backed the proposal for MUPs to make a mandatory contribution to their pension, which is currently funded entirely by the national budget.

She cited data from the Department of Budget and Management showing that P300 billion was allotted for the MUP pension in the proposed 2024 national budget alone.

She made the remarks a few days after House appropriations panel chair, Rep. Elizaldy Co, said the House was exploring fund sources for the MUP pension ahead of deliberations on the proposed P5.768 trillion national budget for next year.

Co said Speaker Martin Romualdez instructed him and his colleagues “to ensure that the problem of the MUP pension is resolved within the year” and find ways to raise the hefty P120 billion yearly requirement. INQ

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